


EXTRACTS FROM "STEPHEN KING'S 'IT'"

by TheTeaIsAddictive



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alvin Marsh is His Own Warning, Annoyingly Brechtian At Times, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, Gratuitous Use of Double Casting for the Sake of the Symbolism, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Screenplay/Script Format, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, The Turtle CAN Help Us (IT), Theatre, Tom Rogan Continues to be a Walking Content Warning, and now we have this, it's about the power of friendship, ok content warnings over now to the fun tags, this was born of a stray thought i had about how cool it would be if you did x y z on stage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTeaIsAddictive/pseuds/TheTeaIsAddictive
Summary: In the summer of 1989, seven children are terrorised by a monster which feeds on their deepest, darkest fears, and make a promise to return and fight if it ever resurfaces. Twenty-seven years later they are called back, saddled with adult traumas and complications to juggle with their childhood fears as they attempt to defeat it once and for all.This adaptation of Stephen King's iconic novel appears on the stage for the first time. Performed by a large ensemble company and directed by one of the company's longest-serving collaborators, IT proves to be a mesmerising evening of love, fear, and friendship. Suitable for audiences 15+. Please note that strobe lighting and pyrotechnics will be in operation during the performance.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Minor or Background Relationship(s), The Losers Club & The Losers Club (IT)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. DRAMATIS PERSONAE

**Author's Note:**

> hello! 
> 
> this is unfinished, but as it is halloween i thought it would be most suitable to post this today rather than wait until it was completely done. if it isn't entirely clear (and i would not blame you if it isn't as i really had no idea how best to tag this), this is my fever-dream imagining of how one might go about adapting It for the stage. as with many of my fics on ao3, it started as an idea for a tumblr post and then kept growing arms and legs. i've done my best to tag for all the content warnings i think apply, but if i have missed any out (not relevant in this chapter, but more so in the other two) then please let me know. also, because even i have limits, this is not a full scale adaptation -- there will be gaps where things proceed as in either book- or film-canon.
> 
> finishing this may take a while as i need to read more of the book to write this and while i'm 25% of the way through, i still have a long way to go.
> 
> i would like to apologise in advance to my old drama teacher, as i have not written a script since i was fifteen. sorry mr welsh.

## EXTRACTS FROM “STEPHEN KING’S ‘IT’”

## being an adaptation of ‘It’ (1986) and It’s Derivatives. Adapted for the stage. 

* * *

**DRAMATIS PERSONAE:**

_THE LOSERS_

_being a group of children who made a promise, with consequences they could not understand._

_[the playwright advises that they be played by the same actors as children and adults. age indicated by costume: as children, THE LOSERS wear shorts and tee-shirts; as adults, they don jeans, slacks, button-ups, and wedding rings as indicated by the script. additional costumery (e.g. casts, gauze, scars, bruises) as indicated by the script.]_

MIKE HANLON / THE NARRATOR: As a BOY, ostracised by the town of Derry like the rest of THE LOSERS, for being one of the few Black people living there. Grows into a MAN who becomes more intertwined with the town than the rest of them, as he was forced to take root. 

BILL DENBROUGH: Their fearless leader, a BOY who tells stories and speaks what they know to be true despite his stutter. Grows into a MAN who does not know how to write an ENDING, and must find out how.

RICHIE TOZIER: A bright and excitable BOY who can speak in Voices not his own and does not hesitate to use them. Grows into a MAN who speaks what others write for him to hide his SECRET, and must decide how he wants to be seen.

BEVERLY MARSH: A GIRL who sees the truth of the adults in Derry, starting with her father. Grows into a WOMAN who is burdened with knowledge from the DEADLIGHTS, but relieved of their context until it is too late. 

EDDIE KASPBRAK: A soft-spoken, fiercely feral BOY with an innate sense of direction, who is warned not to wander too far by his mother. Grows into a MAN who is LOST, and must first discover this before he can find his way.

BEN HANSCOM: A shy BOY, bullied like the rest of them, who built a safe haven for his friends when Derry turned on them. Grows into a MAN whose quiet LOVE for Beverly may prove to be an enduring one. 

STANLEY URIS: An old soul, who as a BOY is fearful both of IT and the adults who inhabit the town of Derry. Grows into a MAN who is tormented by memories of his childhood FEARS, and draws conclusions. 

_THE PEOPLE OF DERRY (AND BEYOND)_

_being close-minded, small, and bigoted people, encouraged by IT whenever IT feeds._

_[play around with the casting of these parts at your will. greatest effect comes with double- or even triple-casting according to theme/number of available actors, although individually casting each part is also possible. the playwright advises the following as a template:_

_MYRA KASPBRAK / SONIA KASPBRAK_

_ALVIN MARSH / TOM ROGAN_

_AUDRA PHILLIPS / PATRICIA BLUM URIS_

_alternatively, all the adults in town can be played by the same two actors if you so desire]_

ZACK AND SHARON DENBROUGH: BILL’S parents, devastated after the violent death of their son GEORGIE at the hands of IT. 

ALVIN MARSH: BEVERLY’S father, a widower. Physically and sexually abusive.

SONIA KASPBRAK: EDDIE’S mother, a widow. Emotionally and medically abusive.

DONALD URIS: STAN’S father. 

WILL HANLON: MIKE’S father. 

HENRY BOWERS: A sadistic bully, who torments THE LOSERS both as children and as adults. A victim of IT.

MYRA KASPBRAK: EDDIE’S wife. Emotionally and medically abusive.

TOM ROGAN: BEVERLY’S husband. Physically and sexually abusive.

AUDRA PHILLIPS: BILL’S wife. 

PATRICIA BLUM URIS: STAN’S wife.

ENSEMBLE: (Various children, victims of IT, Bowers’ gang, librarians, guests at the Bar Mitzvah, co-workers of THE LOSERS, etc.)

_IT_

_being a thing of immense power and terror the likes of which are rarely seen in this world._

_[IT has many forms. play around with the casting of them as you see fit. the playwright includes suggestions for role allocation with each of the forms. during the final confrontation with IT, it is suggested that the ensemble take over puppeteering duties.]_

PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN: IT’S primary form when speaking to GEORGIE, the children of Derry, and when there are more than one of THE LOSERS in the same scene. 

THE LEPER: IT’S primary form when terrorising EDDIE. _[puppeteered and voiced by the actor who plays RICHIE.]_

THE PAINTING: IT’S primary form when terrorising STAN. _[puppeteered and voiced by the actor who plays BEVERLY.]_

GEORGIE DENBROUGH: IT’S primary form when terrorising BILL. _[puppeteered and voiced by the actor who plays EDDIE.]_

THE TEENAGE WEREWOLF: IT’S primary form when terrorising RICHIE. _[puppeteered by the actors who play EDDIE and BEN; voiced by the actor who plays EDDIE.]_

THE BOY WITH THE BALLOON: IT’S primary form when terrorising BEN. _[puppeteered and voiced by the actor who plays BILL.]_

THE BIRD: IT’S primary form when terrorising MIKE. _[puppeteered and voiced by the actors who play STAN and BEVERLY.]_

_MATURIN_

_being a thing of immense power and kindness, the likes of which are rarely seen in this world._

_[MATURIN appears as a gigantic floating turtle, and speaks to THE LOSERS on various occasions. puppeteered by the ensemble. voiced by the actor who plays PENNYWISE.]_


	2. ACT I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the stage is set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warnings: canonical abuse regarding alvin and tom. the tom and beverly scene is taken pretty much verbatim from the book, so feel free to crtl + f to 'Scene 6' if that is triggering. likewise, the alvin scene is verbatim from the 2017 film. 
> 
> ok, onto fun notes. as you may notice, lots of swathes of dialogue are lifted straight from the novel itself. this is because i could not come up with alternate dialogue which did not work more effectively than the original dialogue. feel free to drag me for this if you want, but i obviosuly do not own anything lifted straight from the book or movies. 
> 
> you will notice that i have skipped over a lot of the childhood stuff. some of this will be directly addressed in act two, whenever that comes out. 
> 
> structural notes: a horizontal line indicates the end of a scene. ellipses in square parentheses "[...]" denotes skipped time, because i don't actually hate myself enough to write a full-length script. this is pushing my skillset far enough as it is. if something has been skipped over using "[...]", insert equivalent scenes from the movie. hopefully i have done my job enough that you can tell what those scenes should be. 
> 
> if you read the first chapter when i posted it, i reccomend going back and looking it over again just to refresh your memory as to the double-casting policies.

#  **Act I**

**Scene 1**

_ Lights up on ADULT MIKE HANLON, alone, CS. He sits at a desk, holding a piece of paper in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. He seems about to either dial whatever number is on the paper or set both aside, but it’s impossible to tell which. He looks at the audience, a little shocked to see them there, and sets both aside with visible relief that his indecision can remain postponed a moment longer. _

THE NARRATOR: In the southwestern corner of Penobscot County, right along Interstate 95, there’s a little town called Derry. Right in the heart of Maine, we are. South of Dexter, southwest of Old Town, and west of Bangor and Haven. Derry started life as a beaver trapping town –  _ [He pauses imperceptibly, as if awaiting an interruption, before continuing] _ – before becoming an ironworks town. Course, that dried up eventually. Now, it’s the kind of small town everyone comes from. You might think it would be a nice place to grow up, or a good place to move back to and raise kids of your own. 

_ He scoffs.  _

You’d be wrong. 

_ He rises as he speaks, moving around to the front of the desk.  _

See, Derry isn’t like other towns. There’s something wrong with it. A cancer, lurking deep in the bowels of the town. IT’S always there, looming in the background, symptomatic pain that never fades but becomes part of everyday life. And every twenty-seven years, IT resurfaces. Reminds you that you’re not cured, just in remission.  _ [Pause.] _ The thing about cancer, though, is that it only kills one person at a time. 

_ He pauses. His eyes are far away, remembering horrors the audience is not yet privy to, but which they will become intimately familiar with over the course of the play.  _

This thing – we didn’t have a name for it, we know it only as IT – kills as many people as IT can get IT’S hands on, and gorges itself, before going back to hibernate. IT preys on children, because they’re easier to frighten, and that’s what IT likes. And somehow, despite all that, my friends and I managed to kill IT.

_ He picks up the phone, and the piece of paper. The paper shakes in his hand. _

We . . .  _ thought _ . . . we killed IT. 

_ MIKE turns his head away from the audience, and stops addressing them. He dials the first number into his phone, but doesn’t press the call button. _

MIKE:  _ [Quietly] _ I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t do this if there was any other way. But we swore. We . . . we  _ swore. _

_ He dials the number and raises the phone to his ear. He moves UCS, the dial tone the only sound.  _

MIKE: Please pick up. I know – I  _ know _ it’s been almost thirty years, but please.  _ Please _ pick up. 

_ Lights up to reveal six other people arranged onstage, each fumbling to find their phone – THE LOSERS, all grown up.  _

_ Their voices overlap as they answer their phones. _

STAN: This is Stanley Uris – 

RICHIE: Hello? Uh, hi, this is Rich Tozier –

BEN: Benjamin Hanscom of Hanscom Designs –

EDDIE: Edward Kaspbrak speaking –

BEV: Hello, this is Beverly Marsh, Rogan & Marsh’s – 

BILL: Denbrough residence, this is Bill speaking.

MIKE:  _ [Visibly overwhelmed.] _ Hi. Hi. This is Mike. Mike Hanlon? From Derry?

_ THE LOSERS continue to overlap their responses. _

STAN: Sorry, I think you might –

RICHIE: I don’t know any – wait – 

BEN: Derry? Mike from Derry?

EDDIE: Derry, Maine?  _ That _ Derry?

BEV: Mike  _ Hanlon? _

BILL: Mikey?

_ A pause. THE LOSERS shift imperceptibly – they don’t remember, not yet, but there’s the faintest stirrings of it.  _

MIKE: I’m really sorry to – to ask this of you, but I need you to come back to Derry.

RICHIE: What do you mean?

BEV: What’s going on?

MIKE: It’s started again. Do you remember? Back in 1989 – when we were thirteen?

BEV: I – I don’t –

EDDIE: Who are you, again?

BEN: 1989 . . . 

BILL: From D-derry?

STAN:  _ [Looking at his left hand, rising horror on his face] _ Oh, God.

MIKE: I need your help. You  _ promised _ you’d help. Will you come?

STAN: Mike . . . 

RICHIE: I . . .  _ [Sighs] _ Ok, let me call my travel agent.

BEN: Jesus Christ. I thought we had – no, never mind. Of course I’ll come. 

EDDIE: I need to sort out cover for tonight, but. Yeah.  _ [Shakily] _ We promised. 

BEV: Book me a room and say me a prayer.

BILL: I need to talk to my wife.

MIKE: Thank you. I’ll see you then.

_ They hang up. One by one THE LOSERS exit the stage. STAN does so in a daze, continually looking at his hand. RICHIE gags, and races for something to vomit into before leaving, visibly shaken. BEN takes out the silver dollars and flips them over his fingers, contemplative. EDDIE immediately starts muttering plans under his breath. BEV lights a cigarette before leaving for a suitcase. BILL stares at his phone for a long moment, the last to leave. _

BILL: G-Georgie . . .

_ BLACKOUT.  _

* * *

**Scene 2**

_ Lights up on ADULT MIKE, still UCS, tucking his phone back into his pocket. _

THE NARRATOR: It started with the formation of the Loser’s Club of 1989. At least, it started there for most of us – I was the last to join, so for me it started with the Apocalyptic Rockfight, while that was somewhere near the middle for most of the others. But – no, that’s not right, because each of us saw IT for the first time long before the Rockfight. Maybe it started years before 1989, when Bill, Eddie, Richie, and Stan first became friends. Strictly speaking, I guess it all started when IT first landed in Derry, whatever year that was. 

_ He pauses. Enter YOUNG BILL DENBROUGH. He settles down as if lying on a bed, flicking through a magazine. _

But I think, in order for all of this to make sense – at least, as much sense as I’ve been able to make of it over the last twenty-seven years – it needs to start with Bill Denbrough, and the fall of 1988, and what happened to his little brother, Georgie.

[...]

_ … and GEORGIE’S arm is ripped away. GEORGIE screams as PENNYWISE laughs, the sound echoing as he retreats into the sewers. GEORGIE dies; ZACK, SHARON and BILL look up in horror. SHARON stops playing piano as ZACK runs to cradle his son’s body. BILL is frozen in his bed, and starts to cry. Lights shift as the scene changes: ADULT BILL DENBROUGH sits with his wife, AUDRA, in their living room.  _

AUDRA: But you already told me that your brother died. I’ve known that about you for years.

BILL: Yes, but what I’m saying is that I didn’t . . . I couldn’t  _ remember _ . Literally. I haven’t thought about Georgie in twenty years. I haven’t  _ remembered _ him since . . . at  _ least _ since my parents moved away when I was fifteen. And the others – Eddie, Stan, and Richie. Ben and Bev. Mike. None of them, until . . .

AUDRA: Until this phone call. 

BILL: Yes.  _ [Pause] _ I know it sounds crazy. But we fought something, when we were kids – the thing that k-killed Georgie.  _ [He chuckled darkly] _ Oh, so that’s back too. My stutter.

AUDRA: You stuttered?

BILL: Till I was almost seventeen. 

AUDRA: Bill . . .

BILL: I know how it sounds, darling. Believe me. I know it sounds insane. But I have to go back. I made a promise. And if Mike’s calling for us, that means there’s a monster we need to kill. 

AUDRA: Ok. 

BILL: Ok?

AUDRA: I mean, you’re right, it does sound insane. But I guess that explains those dreams you have sometimes.

BILL: What do you mean, Audra? I don’t dream.

AUDRA: We’ve been married eleven years, Bill. Maybe you don’t remember them, but I can assure you that you frequently have bad dreams. 

BILL:  _ [Cautiously] _ Do I talk?

AUDRA: Sometimes, although I’ve never been able to make out what you say. Mostly you toss and turn, and groan. Sometimes you cry. 

_ She takes his hands and kisses the palm. He brushes his fingers through her hair.  _

BILL: That’s another thing. Look at my hand.

AUDRA: That – that scar –

BILL: It wasn’t there before. It only came back after that phone call. 

AUDRA: But scars – they’re either there or they’re not, they don’t just –

BILL: I know, Audra! I know! But – I remember now. We did it in the Barrens – Stan made us make a Blood Oath. He cut us all with a shard of an old Coke bottle, it’s a miracle we didn’t all get tetanus –  _ [He pauses, and chuckles, as if remembering something, before continuing] _ – but, darling, we promised. We promised that if It wasn’t d-dead, we would come back and do it again, and s-stop it. 

AUDRA: What do you mean?

BILL: I have to go back to Derry. I have to face this, with the others. Mike said they had all agreed to do it, even Stan. 

AUDRA: Then let me go with you.

_ BILL starts backwards, struck with fear.  _

BILL: No! No, Audra, you can’t – You don’t know what you’re asking. Derry – it does things. Please, for my sake, promise me you’ll stay here. 

AUDRA: Should I? You promised to help them when you were a kid. And I promised to stand with you when I married you. 

BILL: Promise me! P-p-p-pr-  _ [He stalls over the word. Frustration mingles with the fear on his face.] _

AUDRA:  _ [Shaken] _ I promise! I promise, Bill, ok!

_ They embrace.  _

BILL: I need to go. There’s a flight leaving that’ll get me there in a few hours. 

AUDRA: Promise me you’ll come back, ok?

_ BILL takes her face in his hands and kisses her, but does not answer. Lights down. _

* * *

**Scene 3  
**

_ 1989, the last day of school before the summer holidays. Enter THE LOSERS from different directions; YOUNG RICHIE, EDDIE and BILL erupt from one classroom; BEV can be seen further down the hall, shyly watched by BEN as he makes his own way out. _

[...]

_. . . As BILL, EDDIE, STAN and RICHIE leave, the focus shifts to YOUNG MIKE HANLON, cycling home from school. The set shifts around him, becoming the Hanlon farm; WILL HANLON is sitting on the porch, taking a break from his work for the moment.  _

MIKE: Hi, Dad. 

WILL: Hey, Mikey. How was school?

MIKE:  _ (Shrugs) _ Alright. Glad it’s summer, though.  _ (He takes off his backpack and it lands with a thump – clearly heavy-laden with books.) _ What’s needing done?

_ WILL shakes his head.  _

WILL: Mike, it’s the first day of summer. Take some time off. 

MIKE: What about the trees?

WILL: I can manage the trees just fine today. Go have some fun. 

MIKE: Are you sure?

WILL:  _ (Laughing) _ Yes, Mike. Go be a kid for a while, ok?

_ MIKE hugs his dad.  _

MIKE: Thanks, Dad.  _ (He gets back on the bike, and WILL calls out before he leaves –) _

WILL: Mike! If you’re going to the old Ironworks, watch yourself, ok? Stay clear of those holes, you hear? Those rocks are lovely, but they’re not worth a broken bone.

MIKE: Yes, Dad! Love you, bye!

WILL: Love you, too. 

_ As MIKE cycles away, the set changes to the Ironworks. He dismounts, and spends some time sorting between bits of rock, humming quietly to himself; some meet his approval and get tucked away into a bag, but most don’t. He’s perfectly happy, until – _

THE BIRD:  _ (O/S: A cry) _

_ MIKE looks up, slightly on-edge. He dismisses it, and edges towards a hole. For a moment he looks into it, and we wonder if he is going to disobey his father – but then he turns away.  _

_ Enter THE BIRD, high above the quarry. Simultaneously, MIKE slips on loose rock and begins to fall towards the hole.  _

THE BIRD:  _ (A cry) _

_ MIKE sees THE BIRD and for a moment, freezes. It lunges towards him, grabs his arm between its talons, and attempts to bodily snatch him away _

MIKE: Let me go!

_ With some effort, MIKE breaks free of its hold and scrabbles back to solid ground as THE BIRD prepares to dive-bomb him again. Just before THE BIRD makes contact, MIKE lifts up a large piece of corrugated iron and covers his back like a turtle’s shell. THE BIRD continues to attack as MIKE screams. _

MIKE: Oh god, oh god, oh god . . .

_ THE BIRD pauses; although the audience can see it is still there, MIKE cannot. He lowers his defense, just in time for THE BIRD to let out another cry as it approaches. MIKE grabs pieces of rock and throws them at THE BIRD.  _

MIKE: Go away! Get out of here!

_ THE BIRD does not, and their fight continues.  _

MIKE: Get out! I’ll keep hitting you until you get out of here, I swear to god!

_ THE BIRD attacks again, causing MIKE to raise his shield. After a few blows, it flies away. MIKE takes a long time to lower his defenses. He stands for one unbroken moment, before losing his nerve and running back to his bike as fast as he can. The set shifts back to the Hanlon farm, WILL out of his work clothes and sitting on the porch smoking.  _

WILL: Mike, are you alright? You look like you’re about to have a heart attack. 

MIKE:  _ (Pause, as he catches his breath) _ I’m fine, Dad. Just out of breath. 

WILL: You were gone quite a while – I guess that means you got some good souvenirs from the Ironworks, huh?

MIKE: Yeah.  _ (He hands the bag over to WILL.) _

WILL: Dinner’s almost ready – how about we take a look over them after that?

MIKE: Sounds good, Dad.  _ (He starts to walk inside, but WILL gently takes his arm.) _

WILL: Mike . . . maybe don’t go back there again, alright? Not until they catch the guy behind all these . . . disappearances going on. 

MIKE: Yes, Dad. I don’t want to go back anyway, it was . . . kinda spooky.

WILL: You didn’t see anyone out there, did you? Nobody tried to chase you, snatch you away?

MIKE: No. I didn’t see any people, Dad. 

WILL: Alright. 

_ WILL goes into the house. MIKE looks behind him for a long moment, searching the sky, before following his father inside. _

* * *

**Scene 4**

[...]

_ YOUNG BEN hides downstage as THE BOWERS GANG continue to look for him. Upstage, YOUNG BILL and YOUNG EDDIE are making a dam.  _

HENRY: Where the fuck did he go?  _ [He notices BILL and EDDIE; he storms up towards them.] _ Hey, what the fuck are you kids doing here?

BILL: We’re j-j-just –

EDDIE: We’re building a dam. 

HENRY: This fucking useless baby dam? Couldn’t hold back shit. 

BELCH: Let’s break it!

VICTOR: Yeah!

EDDIE: No!

_ EDDIE and BILL try to stop the teens; HENRY shoves EDDIE aside as the other two teens start breaking apart the dam. BILL is shoved backwards into the ‘water’, and cries out.  _

HENRY: Don’t give me any of your shit today you little freak. I’m not in the mood.

_ The dam is broken, and the teens slowly straggle offstage. _

EDDIE: You didn’t have to do that! Why did you do it?

HENRY: Cause I fucking  _ felt _ like it, how about that?

_ He punches EDDIE in the nose, and he immediately starts crying.  _

VICTOR: Ugh, fucking shut up already, crybaby. 

HENRY: One last thing before we go. You seen a big, fat kid running around down here at all?

_ BILL shakes his head.  _

HENRY: You sure? You’d better be fucking sure. 

BILL: I’m s-sure. 

HENRY:  _ [Pause] _ Let’s go, boys.  _ [The teens walk away] _ It was a shitty dam anyway!

_ Exit THE BOWERS GANG. BILL gets to his feet and runs to comfort EDDIE.  _

BILL: Ed-Eddie, are you ok?

EDDIE:  _ [Wheezing]  _ No! Asthma! Shit!  _ [He takes out an inhaler from the fanny pack around his waist and takes the medication.] _

BILL: Better?

EDDIE:  _ [Still wheezing] _ Nope. Empty!

_ BEN emerges from his hiding spot, still shaking with fear. Upstage, BILL tries to comfort EDDIE, who is taking panicked, wheezy breaths and has a bloodied nose. BILL turns around and notices BEN – he’s clearly frightened by what’s happening to EDDIE.  _

BILL: Hey! C-c-c-can you help m-me? P-p-please? His inhaler’s em-em-pty. I think he m-might be d-d-d-d-

_ BILL stutters over the word fruitlessly as EDDIE’S breathing worsens.  _

BEN:  _ [Realises what BILL is trying to say]  _ Oh my god!

_ BEN joins them, placing a hand on EDDIE’S shoulder.  _

BILL: C-c-can you stay w-with him while I g-g-g-go for a refill?

BEN: Yeah, of course. 

EDDIE:  _ [Wheezing] _ Wait, wait, I have – a spare --

_ He digs around further in a second fanny pack; sure enough, he produces a second inhaler. He takes the medication as BILL and BEN watch anxiously. They sigh with relief as EDDIE’S breathing returns to normal almost immediately after taking the medication. _

BEN: Which one hit you? Was it Bowers?

EDDIE: Yeah. 

BEN: Figures. Sorry about that. It was me they were looking for, so it was kind of my fault you got hit. 

BILL: Why?

BEN: I wouldn’t let him copy off my test and he got stuck in summer school.

EDDIE: I think talking back to Bowers was why I got hit, actually. 

BILL: Like that time R-Richie said something about his shirt, and instead of b-backing up just doubled down?

EDDIE: I mean you can’t really blame Richie for whatever comes pouring out of his mouth. He can’t really stop himself. 

BEN: What happened?

EDDIE: They broke his glasses again, and beat him up. 

BEN: That sucks. 

_ BILL and EDDIE shrug.  _

BEN: Well, I should probably go. My mom’s gonna kill me for getting all cut up like this. 

EDDIE: You’re gonna walk home all cut up and bleeding? 

_ BEN shrugs. _

EDDIE: No way. We need to get you patched up. 

BILL: Hop on the b-back of Silver while we get to the pharmacy. 

BEN: You don’t have to –

EDDIE: I need to go anyway to refill this inhaler, and I  _ cannot _ let you walk around like that, oh my god, don’t you know there’s an AIDS epidemic going on right now? My mom heard from one of her friends in New York City . . .

_ The set shifts around them as EDDIE continues motor-mouthing. Enter YOUNG RICHIE and YOUNG STAN, in front of the pharmacy. STAN is securing a layer of tape around the leg of RICHIE’S glasses; once he’s satisfied with their sticking power, he hands them back to RICHIE. _

RICHIE: Thanks, Stan the man.

STAN: Any time. 

RICHIE:  _ [In a terrible English accent; it shifts through many different regional accents as he talks] _ I dare say old chap, you’ve set these things right as rain! Why, I venture that my dear old mother won’t need to worry about buying me a new pair for the rest of the summer!

STAN: Why is your Australian guy talking all posh?

RICHIE: Oooh, nice chucks, Stan! Where’d you learn how to tape glasses so expertly, anyway?

STAN: Boy Scouts of America, Richie. You should try it sometime instead of holing up in the arcade all summer. 

RICHIE: Nah. They wouldn’t be able to contain the power of the Trashmouth. 

_ STAN rolls his eyes good-naturedly. Both boys startle when they notice BILL, EDDIE and BEN.  _

RICHIE: Jesus Christ, what happened to you guys? 

STAN: You always have to start the bloodbaths without me, huh?

_ Everyone gives him a weird look for the briefest of instants, but they’re quickly distracted by BEN and EDDIE’S injuries.  _

RICHIE: You don’t look so good, Eds.

EDDIE: Don’t call me that. And I’m fine, it’s just a nosebleed. It’s this guy who needs help.  _ [He jerks his thumb back at BEN, who is indeed caked in even more blood than EDDIE] _

STAN: Oh my god!

RICHIE: I repeat – what happened?

BILL: Bowers happened. 

BEN: Seriously, you guys don’t have to –

EDDIE: No, we’re gonna help. Come on, I know what we need to get. 

RICHIE:  _ [Breaking out the English accent again]  _ Lead the way, Doctor K! Pip pip!

_ BILL, STAN, RICHIE and EDDIE all enter the pharmacy. The set spins around slowly as the lights dim; by the time they come back up again, it’s to ADULT STANLEY and PATRICIA BLUM URIS. STAN is holding the phone in his hand — he doesn’t appear to have moved since answering Mike’s call.  _

PATRICIA:  _ [Singing] _ Babylove, my babylove . . .

_ Pause, as she waits for STAN to continue.  _

PATRICIA: Stanley? 

STAN:  _ [Murmuring]  _ Richie. Bill. Eddie. Ben. Bev.  _ Mike.  _

PATRICIA: Stanley? Are you alright, darling?

STAN: The turtle couldn’t help us.

PATRICIA: Stanley?

_ STAN comes back to the present moment with a start. He blinks at his wife for a moment, before reaching for her hand.  _

STAN: Sorry, babylove. I got a phone call from . . . an old friend. Someone I haven’t heard from since we were kids. 

PATRICIA: Is everything alright?

STAN: Yes. Yes, of course, Patty. Just . . . shook me up a little. Old memories.  _ [He kisses her hand, before gently drawing her nearer to kiss her lips.] _

PATRICIA: You wanna talk about it?

STAN: No, sweetheart, I can’t, I . . . 

_ Pause. STAN looks down at his left hand again, flexing it.  _

STAN: I think I’m gonna run a bath. 

PATRICIA: At seven o’clock?

STAN: I just need to . . . think, a little. I won’t be too late into bed, Patty.

PATRICIA: Alright, darling. Promise?

_ Instead of responding, he kisses her. They smile when they break apart, foreheads pressed together for a moment. Exit PATRICIA. STAN’s smile fades as soon as she leaves. He looks thoughtful for a moment, then gathers up a pen and some loose papers on the desk. Lights down.  _

* * *

**Scene 5**

_ The set spins again, and suddenly we’re back in the pharmacy in 1989; the boys congregate around the bandages at one end, while the pharmacist MR KEENE stands at the other, paying no attention to them. From around the corner, YOUNG BEV appears holding a box of sanitary pads; the kids spot each other at either end of the aisle, and BEV immediately hides the period products before the boys can see them. _

[...]

_ The set shifts around YOUNG BEV as she leaves the pharmacy and ends up in her bathroom. She digs around in her pockets for the pads, and looks around helplessly for a moment before hiding them behind the toilet. The bath looms behind her.  _

PENNYWISE: Bevvy . . .

_ BEV turns to look at the sink. Cautiously, she approaches.  _

PENNYWISE: We all float down here, Bevvy. 

_ BEV places her hands on the sink. Peers over to see where the source of the noise is coming from. After a moment: _

BEV: Hello?

_ A pause. _

BEV: There’s nothing there. There’s _ nothing there. _

_ BEV tries to pull away, but she’s suddenly trapped. She can’t move her hands away from the sink, can’t do anything, in fact, except watch in horror as a red balloon improbably blossoms from the drain.  _

PENNYWISE:  _ [Laughing] _ We all float down here, Bevvy! And you’ll float too! You’ll float too!

_ The balloon swells, impossibly huge. BEV screams in panic. It bursts, drenching both BEV and the bathroom in blood. She staggers away from the sink, her hands free once more, taking in the sight. BEV screams again, completely panicked. ALVIN MARSH enters, immediately suspicious.  _

ALVIN: What the fuck are you  _ screaming _ about?

BEV: Dad!

ALVIN: I was trying to  _ sleep. _

BEV: I — don't you see the —

ALVIN: The  _ what,  _ Beverly?

_ He looks around the bathroom, over-exaggeratedly. BEV and the audience realise that for ALVIN, the bathroom is as clean as it was seconds before.  _

BEV: Nothing, Dad. 

ALVIN: Where’ve you been, anyway?

BEV: I was – just seeing some friends.

_ ALVIN walks towards her. Puts his hand on her head, and strokes down her hair to her shoulder. It would almost be fatherly, if not for the fact that his hand lingers everywhere it touches.  _

ALVIN: Not any boys, I hope.  _ [He lifts her chin with one hand, the other lingering on her shoulder.] _ Can’t have that. 

_ A long, pregnant pause.  _

BEV:  _ [Earnestly] _ No, Daddy. No boys.

_ ALVIN’s hands suddenly grip tighter. BEV reflexively flinches away, but can’t move – she’s pinned in place. _

ALVIN: You’re still my little girl. Right, Bevvy? 

BEV: Yes, Daddy.

ALVIN: You’d better not be lying to me.

BEV: I’m not.

ALVIN: Because if you  _ are _ running around with a bunch of boys, like some kind of . . .

_ Another pause. He releases her after a long moment.  _

ALVIN: But you’re still my good girl after all, aren’t you? 

_ A pause. Eventually, BEV nods.  _

ALVIN: Love you.

BEV: Love you too, Daddy.

_ ALVIN exits. BEV waits for a few seconds before covering her mouth with her hands and silently breaking down. BLACKOUT.  _

_ When the lights come up again, it is on ADULT EDDIE KASPBRAK, packing as much of the contents of the cabinet as he can into his travel bag. From offstage, we hear MYRA KASBPRAK calling his name.  _

MYRA: Eddie, come back! You’re not making any sense!

EDDIE:  _ [Looks himself in the mirror. To himself, he says] _ It’ll hurt, but you can do it.  _ [To MYRA] _ I’m sorry, but I have to go, okay?

_ EDDIE zips up the bag and leaves the bathroom. Enter MYRA, whose emotions increase the moment she enters EDDIE’S field of vision. Even if she has not been double-cast with SONIA, the audience should still feel a moment of deja-vu – in the same manner that BEV has married a man whose actions are just as violent as ALVIN, EDDIE’S wife should uncomfortably mirror SONIA’S stage presence.  _

MYRA: Go where? Eddie, you’re scaring me – you’ve never acted like this before!

EDDIE: I need to go home, Myra. just for a few days. 

MYRA: But this is your home! Eddie, this isn’t like you!  _ [She starts to cry. EDDIE stands there awkwardly; MYRA is perturbed. This isn’t the way things usually go when she cries.] _

EDDIE: An old friend called, Myra. I made a promise, and now I need to honour it. 

MYRA: Who? I know all your friends, Eddie – I know everything about you. I don’t understand what’s gotten into you!

EDDIE: He’s a very old friend. I’m – I made a promise.

MYRA: What about the promises you made to me? Doesn’t that mean anything to you?

EDDIE:  _ [Incredulous] _ Myra, I’m going away for a few days, not breaking our wedding vows. 

MYRA: Well, they mean something to  _ me, _ at any rate. In sickness and in health – and this isn’t like you, Eddie-bear. You must be coming down with something, otherwise you wouldn’t be –

_ EDDIE stiffens.  _

EDDIE: I’m  _ not _ sick! I never was – there is  _ nothing wrong with me, alright?! _

_ MYRA freezes at his reaction. There is a dawning realisation on both of their faces; EDDIE that he married a woman just like his mother; MYRA that she married a different man to the one standing in front of her, straight-backed and brave. _

EDDIE: I’m going. I’m – I don’t wanna hurt you, I never wanted to hurt anyone, but I – I’m going, I have to go.

MYRA: Eddie! Wait!

_ EDDIE grabs his bag and races towards the exit.  _

MYRA: If you’re going, at least tell me when you’re coming back!

EDDIE: Myra . . .

MYRA:  _ [The tears have dried up, and nothing cushions her anger now.] _ Fine! Leave! Again! I’ve taken you back three times before, and I’ll take you back again, Eddie-bear, you know nobody can love you like I do –

_ EDDIE exits the room; light and sound cut out on MYRA in the middle of her sentence. As EDDIE gets into his car, he mutters to himself: _

EDDIE: God, such an idiot. Can’t believe I never realised it until now – and after all that talk about being brave. Not letting her give me those gazebos.  _ [Despite himself, he chuckles at the childish mix-up in words. He presses his head against the steering wheel, before righting himself.] _ Well. Here we go, Eds. Back into the belly of the beast. 

_ He starts the car. Lights down. _

_ Lights come up again on ADULT BEVERLY, perched on the rim of the tub, speaking on the phone. The tap in the sink is running, and she is talking in a low voice.  _

BEV: I’m going away for a few days, Kay. You don’t need to worry if you haven’t heard from me.  _ [Pause] _ Some old friends, from when I was a kid. It’s a . . . reunion thing.  _ [Pause] _ Derry. In Maine.  _ [Pause] _ No, he doesn’t.  _ I _ didn’t even really remember until I got the call, Kay – he’s never heard of these guys.  _ [Pause] _ You understand why I don’t want to give you their names, right? It’s not – it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s –

_ Another pause, longer this time. BEV’s gaze lingers on her left hand, palm-up as KAY talks. _

Ok. Thank you. I have to go now, Kay. Don’t worry about me if I’m off the grid for a few days. Love you. Bye.

_ She hangs up the phone, turns off the tap, and listens for a moment before leaving the bathroom. Set shifts to her bedroom, and an open suitcase on the bed. Enter TOM ROGAN, looming in the doorway as BEV continues to pack, throwing in only a few clothes.  _

TOM: Thought I told you not to smoke in front of me.

_ BEV stubs the cigarette out, but keeps packing.  _

TOM: The fuck do you think you’re going?

BEV: I’m going away for a few days. 

TOM: Who’s that Mike guy you were talking to?

_ BEV doesn’t stop packing. TOM is taken aback. _

TOM: Bevvy, I asked you a question.

BEV: He’s a friend I had, when I was a kid. I made a promise, and now I have to go back.

TOM: Back where?

_ BEV finishes packing and zips up her suitcase. TOM turns towards the closet and pulls out a belt – buckleless, with a loop around one end where his hand fits neatly. _

TOM: What’s the fucking rush, milady? You’ve got that look in your eye again, I don’t like it. 

BEV: Tom, I have to go to the airport. Put it down. I need to go back – things are bad, really bad, and if I don’t go back they’re only going to get worse.

_ TOM hits her with the belt. BEV leaps away from the worst of it, grabbing the suitcase off the bed. He keeps hitting her, and she keeps avoiding the worst of the blows.  _

TOM: Unpack that suitcase and get back into bed and maybe I’ll go easy on you, make sure you get out of here in two days and not two weeks.

BEV: I’m not gonna do that, Tom.

_ TOM goes to hit her with the belt again; BEV catches the end of it in her hand. TOM is stunned as she attempts to yank it out of his hands. He manages to maintain his grip and regains control of the belt, but is clearly shaken. _

TOM: Don’t you  _ ever _ try and grab something away from me again, you hear me!

BEV: Tom, stop it. I  _ have _ to go. People are dead, and I made a promise –

_ TOM yells wordlessly, and tries to hit her again. BEV snaps – she grabs at the contents of her bedside drawer and throws them at TOM with killer aim. He stops, dazed but still deadly – the belt lands on the bed as he tries to shield himself from her blows. BEV grabs the belt. _

TOM: You fucking bitch. How  _ dare _ you –

BEV: I am going to the fucking airport Tom, whether you like it or not. If you come near me I will hit you the way you hit me, but I am  _ leaving. _

_ TOM yells again, charging her like a rugby player. True to her word, BEV hits him with the belt as he approaches, until he’s on the floor.  _

BEV: If you come near me again, I will kill you! Understand? I’ll fucking kill you! 

TOM: What the fuck has gotten  _ into _ you, you crazy bitch –

_ He rises and aims a punch. BEV rains more blows on him with the belt until he lands on the floor again. She removes her wedding ring and places it on the bed, grabs the suitcase, and runs offstage. Lights down. _

* * *

**Scene 6**

_ Lights up on ADULT BEN in a plane, surrounded by other passengers. The plane begins to experience turbulence; the lights flicker, and a flight attendant picks up the tannoy.  _

FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Ladies and gentlemen, if you could please re-fasten your seatbelts as indicated by the lights, we are experiencing some mild turbulence. We will inform you when it is safe to unfasten your seatbelts once again. 

_ She hangs up the tannoy and begins working her way along the plane, checking in on each passenger. BEN is at the opposite end of the plane to her starting position; his eyes are blank and wide, and as she approaches him he does not seem to notice her or stir in any meaningful way. _

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:  _ [sotto voce]  _ Oh sweet God. 

_ BEN suddenly moves to sip from the drink in front of him; the plane experiences another bout of turbulence simultaneously, so her reaction is masked by the other passengers.  _

FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Is everything alright, sir?

BEN: Oh, yes. I’m fine, thank you for asking. 

FLIGHT ATTENDANT: You looked – under the weather. 

BEN: I was thinking . . . remembering. A girl named Beverly saved my life when we were kids. I completely forgot about her until . . . until. 

PASSENGER: Excuse me? Can I get some help, please?

FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Excuse me, sir, I should go and see to that passenger – if you’re sure you’re alright?

BEN: Quite sure. Thanks again.

_ She leaves to attend to the other passenger, and BEN continues to stare out the window. Another bout of turbulence hits; the lights flicker, and when they come back on it is on YOUNG BEV in her bathroom, still covered in blood, half-heartedly trying to scrub it clean. Eventually, she gives up, and runs ‘outside’ (downstage), crying. Lights up on YOUNG STAN, BEN and EDDIE, playing tiddlywinks on the pavement. _

EDDIE: I can definitely get it farther than that.

STAN: I’d like to see you try. 

EDDIE: I will, if you just give me a minute. 

_ The boys are distracted by BEV, and all three look around awkwardly for a moment once they recognise each other.  _

STAN: Are you – alright?

BEV: Yeah. Yeah. Hi, Ben. Hi, Eddie.

EDDIE: Hi.

BEN: Are you sure you’re ok? You’re, like . . . white.

BEV: . . . Something happened last night in the bathroom. Something – crazy. My parents can’t see it. And I – I need to show it to somebody, because otherwise I feel like I’m going to go crazy too.

STAN: What do you mean?

BEV: There was . . . blood. Coming out of the bathroom sink. It’s completely covered the bathroom, and it  _ stinks _ . And that’s not all. There was a voice in my drainpipe, like a man was hiding inside it. It said ‘We all float down here, and -’

BEN and EDDIE: (slowly, unison) You’ll float too. 

_ The kids stare at each other for a long moment.  _

STAN: I think we need to see it.

BEV: Ok. Ok. 

_ She leads the boys back to the bathroom; the kids all react in horror and disgust. _

BEV: I’ve tried to clean it up but there’s . . . there’s just so much, and I . . . 

STAN: We’ll help. Right, guys?

EDDIE: Yeah, of course. 

BEN: But what are we gonna do with the rags when we’re done? 

STAN: We could take them to the laundromat. It’s not that far away, and I have a whole bunch of quarters. 

BEV: You’d really do that?

STAN: Of course. Come on, let’s get started. 

_ The kids start cleaning the bathroom.  _

BEV: You said . . . both of you said it. ‘You’ll float too.’

EDDIE: Yeah. 

BEV: What does that mean?

BEN: I saw something. It was . . . it was a clown. It had a balloon that was blowing the wrong way in the wind.  _ (He pauses in his cleaning to demonstrate what he means.) _ I got so distracted trying to figure out the trick that it nearly got me. 

BEV: Got you?

BEN: I ran. I’m pretty sure it would’ve killed me like Betty Ripsom and those other kids if I’d been any slower. 

EDDIE: Me too. I - I saw it, too. 

BEV: A clown?

EDDIE: A leper. It turned into a clown later.  _ (He shudders).  _

BEV: Jesus.  _ (She turns to Stan, who’s been growing steadily more tense throughout) _ Have you seen anything like this?

_ He’s silent for a long moment – long enough that the kids think he’s not going to answer. But then – _

STAN: Yeah. Yeah, I saw something. I didn’t – I wanted to think it was a dream. These kinds of things don’t happen, they don’t make any  _ sense. _

BEV: What was it?

STAN:  _ (A long pause as he steels himself) _ My dad has this really creepy painting in his office. It’s this little girl, she lived in the house before we did. I - it’s stupid, but I don’t like being alone with it. I was at the Standpipe, birdwatching –

EDDIE: Oh god, I hate that place. It’s totally haunted. 

STAN: What?!

EDDIE: You don’t  _ know? _ My mom would flip out if she knew I was anywhere near there even before the kids started dying. It was . . . there was this accident – some kids were playing in the water tower, before they closed it off to everybody, and three kids drowned - oh my god, are you ok, Stan?

_ No, he’s not. The set shifts around him, and he is outside the Standpipe, birdwatcher’s book in hand. A bird – not Mike’s apocalyptic Bird, but a small brown bird – hops around outside, as Stan flicks through his book.  _

STAN: Sorry, Dad. Looks like no cardinal tonight.

_ He closes the book and begins to walk home. As he does, the door to the Standpipe opens with a heavy metallic clang. STAN wanders closer, darting a glance backwards as he does. He peers inside the door – directly towards the audience.  _

STAN: Hello? Is anyone there?

_ Against his better judgement, STAN creeps forwards, off-stage and into the audience seating. He pauses, for a moment. Turns to leave, and then – _

JUDITH:  _ (singing, in a non-creepy way)  _ Take me out to the ball game . . .

_ STAN takes another step forwards, and then another. Suddenly, he hears footsteps, heavy and wet. He finally gets scared and turns to leave, when the heavy door to the Standpipe swings shut behind him. He hurls himself at the door, frantically trying to escape, to get back on-stage, but it’s too heavy. He turns around again, as JUDITH approaches from one side.  _

STAN: Who are you? What are you?

JUDITH: We’re the ones who float, Stanley. We all float down here. 

STAN: Get away from me!  _ (Addressing an audience member, with increasing fear) _ Help me! Help me! Don’t just sit there and  _ watch, _ help me!

JUDITH: You’ll float too.

_ STAN backs up against the door, and is slightly hurt by his bird book banging into his hip. He lifts it in front of him, and begins to chant: _

STAN: Robins! Gray egrets! Loons! Scarlet Tanagers!

_ JUDITH stops in her tracks, and STAN fumbles one-handed with the door as he continues to shout. _

STAN: Grackles! Hammerhead woodpeckers! Chickadees! Wrens! Cardinals!

_ The door opens, and STAN falls through, back on-stage. The lights change, and he’s back in the bathroom with BEV, EDDIE and BEN.  _

BEN: Wow. 

STAN: It happened. It’s true, I swear. 

BEV: I believe you. 

EDDIE: We need to talk to Bill. He’ll know what to do. 

STAN: Do? Do  _ what? _ I don’t want to  _ do _ anything, I want to forget it ever happened!

BEV: But – but surely we need to do something, right? I mean, it’s not just us. So many kids have died, and I’ll bet it’s all because of the same thing. 

STAN: We’re kids. It’s  _ summer. _ This shouldn’t be happening.

BEN: They’re right. We should talk to Bill. I think we’re meant to be meeting at the Barrens in a few days to hang out, we could do it then.

STAN: . . . Ok. Ok. 

_ EDDIE hugs him, fierce and quick, before the kids return to their task of cleaning the bathroom. Lights down. _

* * *

**Scene 7**

[...]

RICHIE: ROCK WAR!

_ The other kids immediately grab rocks and start throwing them at the Bowers gang. The fight lasts for a few intense minutes, with both sides sustaining hits; eventually, however, the kids overpower the teens, and the Bowers gang back away. They relax, and take a long moment to breathe – and we notice that it’s the first time all seven of them have appeared in the same time and place.  _

EDDIE: Did anyone get hurt? I have some antiseptic for whoever needs it. 

_ MIKE, RICHIE and BEN raise their hands reluctantly, and he hands the wipes out and officiously shows them how to clean their scrapes.  _

MIKE: Thanks. You guys didn’t have to do that. 

BILL: Nah, th-those guys are dicks. 

RICHIE: They chased me through a toy store last week. 

STAN: They stole my yarmulke. 

BEN: And Henry Bowers tried to carve his name into my stomach on the last day of school. 

BEV: Shit, who here  _ haven’t _ they tried to attack?

_ A beat. Nobody raises their hand. Another beat, and the kids start laughing. MIKE makes as if he’s about to leave. _

BILL: We were going to go hang out in the Barrens, if you want to join us?

MIKE: (Surprised) Oh – I. Thanks. You guys don’t mind?

EDDIE: ‘Course not. Come on.

BILL: S-safety in numbers, right? Those guys are probably still hanging around. Y-you should stick around for a while. 

_ MIKE smiles, and joins them.  _

RICHIE: Did you hear about the dam Ben made with Bill and Eds –

EDDIE: Don’t call me Eds –

RICHIE: It was crazy, they almost flooded the whole river!

MIKE: What dam?

EDDIE: Ok, so this was way back on the first day of vacation, right? Richie and Stan had gone home to get their bikes, so it was just me and Bill up the Kenduskeag and we were trying to build a dam . . .

_ Eddie continues to talk as THE LOSERS wander off-stage towards the Barrens. Slowly, the lights come down.  _

NEWSCASTER: (Off-stage) . . . and tragedy struck last week at the Derry Town Fair. Two men, Don Hagarty and Adrian Mellon, were walking home from the festivities when they were assaulted by a group of teenage boys on the bridge by the canal. Police are still holding the details of exactly what transpired, but by the end of the night Mr Hagarty was left severely beaten and his partner Mr Mellon, tragically, dead. The trial is set for next Wednesday in the Derry Courthouse. And now onto the weather. Paul?

_ Lights up on the Chinese restaurant. MIKE stands nervously at the table, checking his phone. Enter BILL.  _

BILL: Uh. Hi, Mike. 

MIKE: Bill!

_ Any resolve he had is instantly gone: MIKE races over and pulls BILL into a hug. BILL pauses for a brief moment, before clinging to MIKE just as intensely.  _

BILL: Mike. Hi. 

MIKE: It’s good to see you, Bill. 

BILL: You too, you too. Am I the first one here?

_ [...] _

MIKE: So. The reason I called you all here. 

EDDIE: Shouldn’t we wait for Stan?

_ THE LOSERS glance at the empty seat, closest to the audience. BEV in particular looks troubled, although no one notices except for BEN. _

MIKE: Time’s short as it is. I’ll fill him in when he gets here. 

RICHIE: Fire away then, Mike. Why have you called us all back to the place where suburbia goes to die?

MIKE: Like I said on the phone. It’s back.  _ (Blank looks from everyone) _ Do you . . . remember It? 

BILL: You said it had something to do with G-Georgie, right?

MIKE: Yeah. Yeah.  _ (A beat) _ Do you remember the deadlights, Bill?

BILL: I . . . no. No. 

MIKE: You will. 

RICHIE:  _ (Gasps)  _ Oh fuck. Oh fuck Bill, the  _ werewolf.  _ How could we forget the werewolf?

BEN: What are you talking about?

RICHIE: The teenage werewolf, from the movie we saw that summer, Ben – me and Bill, we went to Neibolt to check it out after Eddie told us about . . . about  _ something. _

EDDIE: Drawing a blank here, buddy. But I remember . . . your bathroom, Bev. Me and Ben and Stan, we helped –

BEV:  _ (Overlapping)  _ Helped clean up the blood. 

EDDIE: Oh fuck. Oh Christ. The sewers. 

MIKE: The sewers?

EDDIE: We were lost, but we . . . how did we get out . . . ?  _ (He looks to MIKE) _

MIKE: I don’t remember everything, myself. There’s a blank in my memory, from when we must’ve killed It the first time. 

BEN: Shit. I wish Stan was here. He was always the best at figuring out how everything was supposed to be. 

MIKE: He’ll get here. He said he would. But that brings me onto another point. I . . . do we want to do this? Do we want to try and kill It again?

BEV: Mike –

MIKE: Look, guys. I called you here because of the promise we all made. But I can’t make you stay here because of it. Take a moment, weigh up the options. This thing almost killed us when we were kids. I don’t know what our chances are as adults, but they don’t look good from where I’m standing. So the options are all go home, no hard feelings. Or we stay, and fight this thing. 

_ A beat, as each of the LOSERS considers their options. MIKE looks at BILL; he’s no longer leading the meeting, but allowing them to slip back into their childhood dynamics.  _

MIKE: Bill?

BILL: Yeah. Let’s do it. Let’s fucking kill It. 

_ He raises his hand. A moment later, RICHIE joins him.  _

RICHIE: What the hell. I’ve made worse decisions. 

_ BEV and BEN raise their hands, as does MIKE. Everyone turns to look at EDDIE. After a long moment, he raises his hand, too.  _

RICHIE: Here we go! Loser’s club of ‘89, back in session!

EDDIE: Beep beep, Richie. 

_ They put their hands down. A waitress arrives and puts fortune cookies on each place setting. _

BEN: But seriously, where is Stan? 

BEV: I . . .

_ They open the fortune cookies.  _

RICHIE: That’s weird, it’s just a word. “Looks”.

BILL: Mine too. “Like”.

BEV: “Stanley”.

_ Everyone’s attention snaps to her.  _

BILL: Keep going. 

BEV: I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.

EDDIE: “Couldn’t”.

MIKE: “Make”.

BEN: “It”.

BILL: What’s that supposed to mean?

BEV:  _ (Gasps, horror-struck) _ The bathtub. So that’s who –!

_ Before anyone can ask what she means, a large red balloon floats up from the middle of the table, unnoticed for the moment.  _

PATRICIA:  _ (Off-stage)  _ Stanley? Stanley, are you alright?

BEV: Oh god. Oh god, there was so much blood. 

BEN: Bev, what are you talking about?

BEV: That poor man. 

PATRICIA:  _ (Off-stage) _ Stanley? Stanley, I’m coming in!

EDDIE:  _ (Noticing the balloon) _ Oh my god!

_ PATRICIA screams. The balloon bursts. Lights out.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if this is a hot mess i can only apologise, but it's been sitting in my drafts for far too long.


End file.
